CN101014406B - Vacuum lock and method for introducing matrix into vacuum chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

A vacuum gate with a vertically arranged closable door opening (10), comprising the following features: a) for opening and closing the door opening, in a plane parallel to said door opening (10) and keeping a slight distance from said door opening (10) The sliding door (1) is arranged in a manner; b) the gate (1) is operatively connected to the transmission rod (2) on its back and is supported at a predetermined distance with respect to the door opening; c) the The gate (1) is connected to the transmission rod (2) by means of a control mechanism, so that when the closing process is prevented by an obstacle (7) within the range of the door opening (10), the gate (1) is moved laterally ) is compressed on the seal (4) surrounding the door opening (10); d) the gate (1) is connected to the transmission rod (2) and/or the spring element (8) on the transmission rod side ) is connected to the control mechanism so that the transmission rod (2) just balances the weight of the gate (1). This ensures that no injury can occur if the door becomes unintentionally stuck in the door opening during the closing process.

Description

Vacuum gate and method of introducing a substrate into a vacuum chamber

technical field

The invention relates to a vacuum shutter arranged on a vacuum chamber and a method for introducing a substrate into a vacuum chamber, wherein the vacuum chamber has a substantially vertically arranged and can be closed in one plane with a shutter door opening.

Background technique

In automated vacuum processing plants, vacuum gates or vacuum valves are used to guide the substrate to be processed from one environment into another, wherein such systems are usually driven pneumatically or electrically. Many of these systems use a gate configured as a sliding gate that is pushed along a vacuum seal disposed around the gate opening and then compressed to seal. If the sliding door is open, then the substrate or also the complete cassette with substrates such as semiconductor wafers can be placed into the vacuum chamber. The introduction of the substrate through the lock opening into the vacuum chamber is often performed by hand, with a person, for example, extending his arm all the way across the opening plane of the lock device. The subsequent necessary closing process of the gate presents a great risk of injury to persons operating it. This is the case especially because the relevant operator has to reach through the relevant door opening several times in a short time. Faults in the shutdown system or incorrect operations by the operator can lead to correspondingly hazardous situations which can result in serious injury. According to the prior art, such gate devices are monitored and controlled by means of electronic systems. In this case, the usual solution is to detect the presence of an obstacle or obstruction within the range of the gate and thereafter to stop the movement of the gate. Such systems are generally costly and expensive, and generally do not have the desired high degree of safety, since the electronic systems themselves are also prone to failure. This safety problem has been pointed out in different important industrial countries and the safety risk is accordingly minimized by more reliable solutions than complex electronic monitoring systems.

Contents of the invention

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art. The task is, in particular, to realize an economically realizable vacuum lock with an essentially vertically arranged sliding door, which provides a high degree of protection and Safety.

The task described in the present invention is accomplished by a kind of vacuum gate, and it is arranged on the vacuum chamber, and this vacuum chamber has the door opening that is arranged vertically and can be closed with gate in one plane, proposes following measures according to the invention: a) The gate is a plate-shaped sliding door, and the gate is arranged in such a way that it can be moved parallel to the plane of the gate and at a distance from the gate for opening and closing the gate; b) the gate is on the side opposite to the gate It is effectively connected with the gate by means of a transmission rod, and is supported in the direction of movement at a predetermined distance relative to the door opening, wherein the transmission rod is connected with the driving mechanism; c) the gate is connected to the gate through the control mechanism The drive rod is connected so that when the closing process is prevented by an obstacle and/or boundary within the scope of the door opening, the gate is pressed laterally against the wall surrounding the door opening in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the door opening. on the seal; d) the transmission rod is movably connected to the gate on the side of the gate facing away from the door opening through the control mechanism consisting of a short lever through a rotation point or a rotation axis, wherein Below this point of rotation, a spring element is arranged on the gate and is pretensionedly connected to the drive side of the lever; The control mechanism is connected so that the transmission rod just balances the weight of the gate.

Furthermore, the object according to the invention is achieved by a method for introducing substrates into a vacuum chamber, wherein the vacuum chamber has a door opening arranged vertically and which can be closed with a shutter in one plane, according to the invention, The method has the following measures: a) the gate is a plate-shaped sliding door, and the gate is arranged in such a way that it can move parallel to the plane of the door opening and keep a distance from the door opening for opening and closing the door opening; b) the gate On its side opposite the door opening, it is operatively connected to the gate by means of a transmission rod, which is connected to the drive mechanism, and supported in the direction of movement at a predetermined distance relative to the door opening; c) Said gate is connected to said drive rod by a short lever so that when the closing process is prevented by an obstacle and/or boundary within the confines of the gate opening, said gate is laterally moved in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the gate opening. The direction is pressed on the seal surrounding the door opening; d) the transmission rod is adjustable on the side of the gate facing away from the door opening through a control mechanism formed by the short lever through a point of rotation or a rotation axis Mobilely connected to the gate, wherein below the pivot point a spring element is arranged on the gate and is pretensioned connected to the drive side of the lever; e) the gate is connected to the transmission rod and/or Or a lever with a spring element on the transmission rod side is connected so that the transmission rod just balances the weight of the gate when it is closed.

According to the invention, this object is solved by providing a vacuum lock which is arranged on a vacuum chamber which has an essentially vertical opening which can be closed in one plane by a lock. In this case, the shutter is a plate-shaped sliding door, which is arranged in such a way that it can be moved parallel to the plane of the door opening and at some distance therefrom for opening and closing the door opening. The gate is operatively connected to a drive rod and a drive mechanism on the side of the gate opposite the door opening, the gate being supported in the sliding direction and opposite the door opening at a predetermined distance. The transmission rod is connected to the gate through a control mechanism that can change the direction of movement of the door or turn the direction of movement of the door, such as a short lever, so that when an obstacle and/or within the range of the door opening Or the boundary prevents the closing process from pressing said gate against a seal surrounding the door opening transversely in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the door opening. The drive rod is connected to the gate and/or to the control mechanism with the spring element on the drive rod side in such a way that the spring just balances or bears the weight of the gate. In this way, the gate is elastically displaceable on the transmission rod and can be displaced in the vertical direction relative to the transmission rod by a spring travel determined by the spring element.

The gate is thus pushed onto the door opening by a drive rod with a linear movement, for example driven by a pneumatic or hydraulic reciprocating piston or by an electric linear drive. As soon as the plate-shaped shutter, for example generally made of metal, has reached its end position and covers the door opening, the movement of the shutter is blocked by an end stop. This obstruction triggers a further lateral movement in the vertical direction towards the door opening, which movement is produced by the control mechanism, for example by a lever mechanism. In this case, the shutter is pressed against the seal surrounding the door opening and thus seals the vacuum chamber from the environment on the other side. If an obstacle, such as an object or in particular a human body part such as a hand, occurs in the door opening when the shutter is closed, the shutter will elastically touch this object or this obstacle, And according to the invention, when a maximum permissible closing force of 100 N is reached, it stops due to the described structure. This is achieved by dimensioning the drive mechanism with control mechanism and spring means in such a way that the gate is pressed against the seal and the friction of the seal against the surface of the gate causes the The gate brakes and/or brings it to an immediate stop. As soon as an obstacle prevents the sliding movement of the gate, only a lateral movement in the direction of the seal takes place here and the gate is pressed against it. The entire mechanism is designed in such a way that the spring element can substantially bear the weight of the shutter and at most a certain frictional force and additionally retains a closing force of at most 100N.

In this case, the spring element is designed in such a way that there is a spring action throughout the entire steering process, that is to say over the entire travel path of the transverse pressing movement. This spring action is thus maintained until the shutter is pressed against the seal, stops and is locked.

This ensures that, if a body part, such as a hand, obstructs the closing process, only a permissible, predetermined spring force acts on such an obstacle, and damage to the body part is reliably avoided.

The drive mechanism is designed in such a way that it can generate the aforementioned forces at most and locks automatically when the sum of these forces is reached. This ensures that, for example, a body part, such as a hand or an arm, is subjected to a load of a maximum of 100 N in the event of inadvertent jamming in the door opening. The possibility of injury is thereby ruled out with a high degree of reliability. To further minimize these forces and the risk of injury, additional electronics can be used, such as sensors for permanent detection of the gate position or sensors for force measurement, which are linked to the corresponding movement control of the gate drive mechanism system coupled.

The control mechanism for turning the direction of movement of the gate from a vertical direction to, for example, a horizontal or transverse direction can be realized, for example, by a steering gear or a lever mechanism. In this case, the lever mechanisms are the preferred constructional solution, since they can be realized particularly reliably and economically.

Description of drawings

The invention is explained in more detail below by way of example and with the aid of schematic drawings. in:

Figure 1a is a vacuum chamber with a gate open and with a control mechanism configured as a lever mechanism;

Figure 1b is a vacuum chamber with a gate covering the door opening at the end stop;

Figure 1c is a vacuum chamber with a gate that covers the door opening and presses against the seal, whereby the gate is hermetically closed;

Figure 2a is the device according to Figure 1a in the open position, with an obstacle, such as a hand, in the door opening;

Figure 2b is the gate device when the gate is closed and when the start encounters an obstacle caused by a human hand;

Figure 2c is a gate device with a gate that starts to hit an obstacle, wherein the gate is automatically pressed against the seal by a lever mechanism to stop;

Detailed ways

In the figures, a preferred embodiment of the locking device according to the invention is shown schematically and in section. FIG. 1 a shows a lock chamber 5 with the lock door 1 in the open state. The lock chamber 5 has a door opening 10 with a seal 4 arranged on the outer surface of the lock chamber 5 for being able to seal the outer area of the lock chamber relative to the inner area in the closed state. In vacuum applications both the vacuum chamber and the associated flaps are usually made of a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel. said gate 1 is made of a plate supported in a manner movable parallel to the plane of said door opening 10 and in each position movable transversely to said seal perpendicular to said door opening 10, and This makes it possible to press against the seal. The distance between the gate 1 and the wall of the lock chamber or the surface of the door opening 10 is usually several millimeters, so that the gate does not touch the wall of the lock chamber or the seal 4 when moving in parallel. The device according to the invention is a substantially vertically movable gate 1 .

The gate is driven for movement from below, whereby this drive overcomes the weight of said gate 1 . The gate 1 is coupled via a transmission rod 2 to a drive, for example a pneumatic, hydraulic or electric linear drive. The transmission rod 2 is supported in a guide mechanism 14, so that the transmission rod can be moved in the longitudinal direction with the door opening 10 at a predetermined, preferably the same distance to close the gate, preferably parallel to the surface of the door opening 10 Move along the longitudinal direction of the transmission rod to close and open the gate 1. Of course, the transmission rod 2 can also be configured as a non-rod-shaped mechanical connection part.

In this case, said gate 1 is located between the door opening and the plane of the transmission rod 2 . The drive rod 2 is movably connected to the gate 1 on the side of the gate 1 facing away from the opening via a control mechanism formed by a short lever 3 via a pivot point 9 or a pivot 9 . Below this pivot point 9, a spring element 8 is arranged on the gate 1 and is connected to the drive side of the lever 3 in a pretensioned manner, or is preferably pretensioned in the area of the transmission rod 2, so that the spring element 8 bears at least the weight of the gate 1 and is held in the upper position of the lever arrangement relative to the lever 3 and the transmission rod 2 . This is achieved in that the gate 1 is kept at a slight distance, for example a few millimeters, from the door opening, so that the gate 1 does not hit the door opening 10 or the seal 4 when moving over the door opening 10 during normal operation. . When the gate 1 is displaced vertically, it moves in its end position—here the closed position—to the boundary 6 shown in FIG. 1b. The closing drive mechanism now attempts to continue pushing the gate against the boundary 6 with a force slightly in excess of the door weight and friction. In this case, the lever 3 , which is pretensioned by the spring element 8 , is moved in such a way that the shutter 1 is moved transversely perpendicular to the door opening and is thus pressed against the door opening 10 and the seal 4 , as shown in FIG. 1 c . If the gate 1 hits an obstacle 7 or the boundary 6, when the gate 1 is pressed against the seal 4, a lateral guiding force is generated by the control mechanism, which is controlled by the transmission rod 2 The guiding mechanism 14 bears.

If, as shown in FIG. 2 a , an obstacle 7 , in particular a hand 7 , is inserted into the closing door opening of the lock chamber, then dangerous situations can arise when the lock door 1 is closed unintentionally, such as injuries in particular to the operator. In such a case, the gate 1 starts to move towards the obstacle 7 when it is closed according to FIG. 2 b , that is to say towards the hand, and is pressed against it.

According to the invention, the lever mechanism 3 with the spring element 8 together with the drive mechanism is designed in such a way that it does not exert a force of more than 100 N on the obstacle or on the hand 7 . That is to say, the spring element 8 is designed in such a way that it can only support the weight of the gate 1 and any additional friction forces that may be present before the lever 3 acts in the event of a possible obstacle 7 . As shown in Figure 2c, the gate 1 presses laterally against the seal of the chamber wall due to obstacles, whereby the frictional force that occurs between the seal and the gate 1 acts as an additional brake. and stop working.

In this exemplary embodiment, a spring element 8 is shown as a tension-loaded spring element. This arrangement can also be realized with a spring element 8 which is loaded under pressure. In this case, it is only necessary to reposition the fastening means between the transmission rod 2 and the gate 1 accordingly, so that the weight of the gate is also resiliently carried. The spring element 8 can be realized in various ways, for example as a helical spring, disk spring, leaf spring, pneumatic spring or also as a rubber elastic element.

Overall, it must be ensured that the pressing force acting on said obstacle 7 does not exceed 100 N by corresponding dimensioning of the spring element arrangement 8 together with the friction and drive mechanism of the seal. When determining the magnitude of the drive power, it is therefore likewise to be taken into account that, when dimensioning the drive force, such a drive force does not exceed the corresponding force on the drive side, and the drive then stands still or runs free. Further refinements and refinements can be achieved through the use of additional electronics which measure the position of the gate and the effect of the force and which are correspondingly controlled by the drive mechanism.

Claims (12)

1. Vacuum gate, it is arranged on the vacuum chamber (5), and this vacuum chamber (5) has the door opening (10) that vertically arranges and can be closed with gate (1) in one plane, has following characteristics: a) The gate (1) is a plate-shaped sliding door, and the gate is arranged to open and close the door opening (10) in a manner parallel to the plane of the door opening (10) and keep a distance from the door opening (10); b) The gate (1) is effectively connected to the transmission rod (2) on the side of the gate (1) facing away from the door opening (10), and is supported at a predetermined distance relative to the door opening (10) In the moving direction, wherein the transmission rod (2) is connected with the driving mechanism; c) said gate (1) is connected to said transmission rod (2) by means of a control mechanism, so that closing is prevented by an obstacle (7) and/or boundary (6) within the scope of the door opening (10) During the process, laterally compress the gate (1) on the seal (4) surrounding the door opening (10) in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the door opening (10); d) The transmission rod (2) passes through a pivot point (9) on the side of the gate (1) facing away from the door opening through the control mechanism consisting of a lever (3) shorter than the transmission rod (2) Or a swivel shaft is movably connected to the gate (1), wherein below the pivot point (9) a spring element (8) is arranged on the gate (1) and is pretensioned to the lever ( 3) The drive side is connected; e) The gate (1) is connected to the transmission rod (2) and/or the control mechanism with the spring element (8) on the transmission rod side, so that the transmission rod (2) just balances the gate (1) the weight of. 2. The vacuum gate according to claim 1, characterized in that the seal (4) has a frictional force when in contact with the surface of the gate (1), thereby forming a brake for moving the gate and/or stopped damping elements, and in this case the gate ( 1 ) also only moves laterally due to the extrusion of the seal ( 4 ). 3. The vacuum gate according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive mechanism and the spring element (8) bear a force that at least bears the weight of the gate, and the rest of the force is within the range of the load except the weight of the gate. The closing process of the gate (1) does not exceed 100N. 4. The vacuum lock according to claim 3, characterized in that the lock arrangement has additional electronics for position detection and/or movement control of the lock (1). 5. The vacuum gate according to claim 1, characterized in that the lever (3) of the control mechanism movably connects the gate (1) with the transmission rod (2). 6. The vacuum lock as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the lock device is a safety device for personal protection. 7. A method for introducing substrates into a vacuum chamber (5), wherein said vacuum chamber has a vertically arranged door opening (10) that can be closed with a gate (1) in one plane, the method having the following characteristics: a) The gate (1) is a plate-shaped sliding door, and the gate is arranged to open and close the door opening (10) in a manner parallel to the plane of the door opening (10) and keep a distance from the door opening (10); b) The gate (1) is effectively connected to the transmission rod (2) on the side of the gate facing away from the door opening (10), and is supported in the moving direction with a predetermined distance relative to the door opening (10) On, wherein the transmission rod (2) is connected with the driving mechanism; c) The gate (1) is connected to the transmission rod (2) through a lever (3) shorter than the transmission rod (2), so that when an obstacle within the range of the door opening (10) (7) and/or the boundary (6) prevents the closing process, laterally pressing the gate (1) against the seal surrounding the door opening (10) in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the door opening (10) ( 4) on; d) The transmission rod (2) is on the side of the gate (1) facing away from the door opening through a control mechanism formed by the lever (3) and is movably connected to the gate through a rotation point (9) or a rotation axis. The gate (1) is connected, wherein below the pivot point (9) a spring element (8) is arranged on the gate (1) and is connected to the drive side of the lever (3) in a pretensioned manner; e) The gate (1) is connected to the transmission rod (2) and/or to the lever (3) with a spring element (8) on the transmission rod side, so that the transmission rod (2) is just balanced when closed Describe the weight of gate (1). 8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the seal (4) has a frictional force when in contact with the surface of the gate (1), thereby forming a brake for moving the gate and / or the damping element at rest, and in this case the shutter ( 1 ) also only performs a lateral movement due to the pressing of the seal ( 4 ). 9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the drive mechanism and the spring element (8) are subjected to a force which at least bears the weight of the gate, and the rest of the force in addition to the weight of the gate is in the said force. The closing process of the gate (1) does not exceed 100N. 10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the position of the gate (1) is detected with an additional electronic device, and/or the movement process is carried out with the movement control system of the gate (1). Control, used to control the action of force. 11. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the lever (3) of the control mechanism movably connects the gate (1) to the transmission rod (2). 12. The method as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the locking device is used as a safety device for personal protection.

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